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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466759">A Day in the Rain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Hearts/pseuds/Cheshire_Hearts'>Cheshire_Hearts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ratchet Week 2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Rain, Ratchet Week 2020, Ratchet actually takes a much needed break, Snark, Storms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:34:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,584</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466759</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Hearts/pseuds/Cheshire_Hearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a lot about Earth Ratchet doesn’t like, but he has to admit the planet’s rainstorms are actually very pleasant.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ratchet Week 2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Day in the Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The final day of Ratchet Week was a free space so I decided to write about Ratchet taking a much needed break to go sit out in the rain. <br/>I started editing this and then gave up xD sorry for any errors or weird sentences.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The rec room was filled with restless and whining mechs; all of them complaining about being stuck inside for the moment. Ratchet ignored them all, grabbing a cube of fuel and quickly leaving the warm room and it’s grumbling occupants behind. He drank as he walked to the main hangar doors. The twins were on duty there, Sunstreaker glaring at the steady sheet of water coming down and Sideswipe leaning against the wall, clearly trying to stay awake. Ratchet thought it shouldn’t be as difficult as the red twin made it seem, what with the loud wind and thunder and all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ratchet finished the few sips in his cube, dispersing it and walking up to the wide-open doors. A cool breeze brushed against his plating. Thunder rumbled in the distance, lasting for a few seconds before tapering off. Ratchet didn’t think he’d ever grow tired of the sound; even the patter of rain soothed his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Going out for a bit?” Sideswipe asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, just for a bit and to the usual spot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Try not to get too muddy out there,” Sunstreaker said quietly, optics flickering over to Ratchet before focusing once more on the steadily falling rain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not planning on rolling around in the mud. I’m just going for a walk is all. Might sit at the top for a bit too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The twins nodded and Ratchet stepped outside into the rain. He let out a shaky vent and started his walk up the side of the mountain. A peal of thunder rumbled off in the distance. Ratchet counted the seconds it lasted, a little shocked at how it kept on rumbling before stopping abruptly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn’t have thunder like that on Cybertron. Sure, they had storms and thunder, but no one wanted to be caught out in the acid storms and the thunder that seemed to shake you to the core. Ratchet knew this storm was only a small, summer storm and would likely blow over in a few hours, leaving the sun shining over brightly by the next morning. Even that was a new thing for all of them. Storms lasted a long time on Cybertron and even after they ended clouds hung in the sky, threatening to drop even more acid on them all. Ratchet enjoyed not having to run for cover every time it rained, but he especially liked not having to treat acid burns after every storm for weeks on end. It was also nice not having to dodge acid puddles for days, even weeks, until someone got around to cleaning them up. Then there was all the repair to do and the cleaners always missed a few puddles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew Earth had terrible storms too; they’d been out to help plenty of times. They were different though. It was probably the lack of acid, but Ratchet and the others would never forget witnessing their first hurricane. Even with their help, the humans were still trying to put everything back to rights months late.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ratchet paused when the path split, shaking himself out of his wandering thoughts. One continued straight to where the main road was and the other curved off toward one of the mountain’s spurs. The medic turned and walked off onto the mountain path, enjoying the rain hitting and sliding off his armor and dripping into his seams. He knew the humans wouldn’t be out today because of how hard the rain was falling, but to him, it felt like one of the lowest settings for solvent in the base’s washracks. It was soothing and helped relax the tense cables in his shoulders and neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ground was soft under his pedes, but he didn’t mind the mud all that much. He’d make sure to rinse them off before entering the Ark, especially if Sunstreaker was still on duty when he got back. He stepped carefully once the path started to slope up and the ground was less hard-packed. Not many mechs came up this way and the humans almost never came up this side of the mountain either. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ratchet made it to his usual spot overlooking the valley behind the Ark. He stood for a while, watching the rainfall and letting it seep into his armor. He flared his armor slightly, letting the rain hit and slide under his plating, rinsing away some of the built-up grime and dust from his last shift. He turned his face up, closing his optics as he did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He vented deeply as another peal of thunder rolled across the valley. It kept rumbling, losing strength before rising once more until it finally petered out entirely. He let the wind and rain soothe his frayed nerves and then cracked his optics open. A smile twitched at the corner of his lip plates. Ratchet turned back around, walking the short distance to an outcropping of worn rocks. He sat down and leaned back against the cliff face behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let all of his plating relax with a heavy sigh, optics sliding closed again. He turned his face up to the sky and sat there, listening to the wind and rain and the occasional rumble of thunder. It was peaceful in a way Cybertron never had been. It was different than the peace he found in his habsuite or in the medbay after hours. He relished all the storms that passed through their area and he was pretty sure most mecha knew he always snuck out for a few minutes to a few hours during every storm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time, he sat on the rock until the storm passed. The clouds still hung heavy in the sky and a few peals of thunder rumbled far off in the distance, but the rain had stopped falling for a few minutes. Ratchet rolled his shoulders and stood up slowly, arching his back to stretch out tense and sore cables. The ground had turned into thick mud and clung to his pedes. He grumbled, knowing he’d have to wash them off before entering the Ark no matter who was on guard duty. He checked his chronometer and let out a huff. Sides and Sunny would be on guard duty for another hour or so. He’d have to make sure his pedes were spotless before entering the Ark or else Sunstreaker would kick out and not let him back in until they were spotless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The trek took no time at all before Ratchet reached the Ark’s entrance. Off to one side was a small wash area set up specifically for occasions like this. It would be getting a lot of use soon; both Hound and Trailbreaker had a tendency to sneak out after rainstorms to go roll around in the mud for a few hours and Ratchet knew both were on their off shifts. He quickly rinsed and dried his pedes, triple-checking to make sure they were completely mud-free. Once he was sure Sunstreaker wouldn’t find any bits of mud he turned and entered the Ark.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sideswipe grinned at him while Sunstreaker’s optics locked on his pedes for a few seconds. The golden mech huffed and looked back up at Ratchet’s raised optic ridges.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well? They clean enough for you?” Ratchet asked. A corner of his lips pulling into a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sunstreaker huffed. “They’re clean enough for now. You should probably stop by the washracks, you’ve got water spots all over your plating that need to be rinsed off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sideswipe laughed and Ratchet rolled his optics at the golden twin. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll get around to it in a bit. Have a good rest of your shift, you two.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See ya around, Ratch!” Sideswipe called after him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ratchet waved him off, walking off down the hall and out of the twins’ line of sight. He stopped by the rec room to grab another cube of Energon before heading to the washracks. While he wasn’t vain like Sunstreaker, the mech did have a point. Ratchet looked at his forearm and the spots of dried water there. Plus, warm solvent would feel nice after sitting in the cold rain for hours and he deserved a little more time to himself. First Aid, Wheeljack, and even Optimus had been reminding him he needed to take more time for himself, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pulled up the duty roster and moved around a few shifts. He’d be doing the night shift, but it gave him a few extra hours to relax and do nothing. First Aid hated having evening shifts anyways and Ratchet liked the quiet. It gave him time to finish a lot of his paperwork that built up over the weeks. It also lacked all the random mechs coming in for one reason or another. He sent First Aid the update to the roster with a short note of his reasons for changing it attached and continued on to the washracks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A ping to his comm unit had him lifting his arm to look at the screen on his wrist. It was a confirmation from his apprentice along with a short note: </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s about time you started listening to Optimus, Wheeljack, and myself. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ratchet smirked, turned off his comm unit and entered the washracks. Maybe First Aid was right about this one. Not that Ratchet would tell the young medic that. All he needed was for First Aid to get a bigger ego, not that the kid really had one at the moment. Still, taking a few more hours a day wouldn’t hurt anyone around the Ark.</span>
</p>
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